


The Angel, the Demon, and the Tell-Tale Box

by Luneth



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Magic, Minor mentions of sexual assault, Moody teenager adopted by two weird-ass uncles, Non-Nation AU, Takes place in the UK, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-19 21:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18978589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luneth/pseuds/Luneth
Summary: The man living in the old house on top of the hill is not all that he appears to be, and neither is the Russian who visits from time to time.A story of two supernatural beings who love each other very much, as told from the perspective of a teenage girl who asked for absolutely none of this.At least things have gotten more interesting than homework.





	1. The warlock's house

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Morphologist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morphologist/gifts).



> This was originally a birthday gift for a friend but it ended up being, pretty good? So I might as well post it here.
> 
> If you're new to human names:
> 
> Arthur Kirkland: England  
> Ivan Braginski: Russia
> 
> They aren't nations in this but they aren't human either.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Off to see the warlock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I looked through so many American vs British English sites to make this as accurate as possible but there are probably still some mistakes sorryyy.  
> Side note, today I learned in the UK nowadays the word cookie IS in use, and biscuit refers to the flatter, hard sweet baked goods instead. So, chocolate chip cookies and snicker-doodles would be cookies.  
> Arthur however is old fashioned and (as my friend put it) posh. He'll use Americanisms when his long dead body is being used as a morbid puppet.
> 
> Disclaimer: Anna's a bit of a bastard. She's a teenager. She has angst. She tries to be cool as a result. This may color the narrative.

Anna hated football.

She hated football, she hated working with teams, she hated having to pretend to like people. She hated most of the people at her school.

She was on her school’s football team, in which all members were now doing a campaign selling biscuits to raise money.

If she got through this week without kicking something, she was going to be impressed.

In her defense, everyone else on the team hated her too. She was goalie, because it required less communication and more standing in one place waiting for the ball to come your way and stop it.

She didn’t even want to be on a sports team, but her stepdad was obsessed with having a child he could have a good old sporty time with.

She wondered how long until a divorce.

Anyways, that’s what found her standing on the street corner, with three other girls glaring at her.

“You got…” One of them started, “Three boxes sold.”

“Yeah,” Anna confirmed. She matched their glares with perfect indifference.

“You need to get more than that!” Another girl lost her polite façade enough to blurt out. “We should be aiming for at least ten each for our team to win!” Anna stared back at her coolly, then her eyes flickered to look to the right of her. She could see a shadowy humanoid directly behind her. It had the semblance of an older women, one that peered at Anna curiously. The woman bore a resemblance to the girl she hovered over. No one else seemed to see it.

As a child, Anna had called them ghosts and fairies, and found her peers would in return called her a liar or crazy. She soon caught on to the fact that no one else saw them, and these days, she stayed quiet to avoid getting tossed into a psychiatric ward. She had a bad enough reputation as it was. The hallucinations never tried to hurt her, and she knew they weren’t real, so she didn’t see a need for medication or therapy.

“Well what do you want me to do?” Anna asked with a sarcastic bite, “Hypnotize people?”

“You could smile,” The last girl snapped. It seemed to be the end of their patience for Anna. Their bristling manner set Anna on the defensive, and she snapped back.

“Sorry I wasn’t in the mood to prostitute myself for the sake of a football team.”

“That’s not what we’re saying!” The first girl all but shrieked and nearly threw her clipboard over her head. “Oh my God, just-”

“Fine,” Anna cut her off, “Did you skip any houses? I’ll try those.” It was mostly an excuse to leave their presence, and the other girls knew it, from the way they rolled their eyes.

“We did all the hous-” One girl started to say, then faltered. Anna cocked an eyebrow.

“Hm?”

“We did them all!” She snapped. “Cept any that were like, **dangerous** to go to-”

“Dangerous?” Anna repeated with an incredulous tone. “What? In the suburbs? Was the white picket fence missing a post-?”

“She means the warlock’s house.” Another girl cut in with irritation. Anna resisted laughing out loud. She didn’t usually regret missing whatever inside concepts and stories the girls shared, but this one seemed entertaining.

“Sorry, **which** house?”

One girl gave an exasperated sigh.

“The house on the hill? With the big iron fence? We know he’s not like, actually a warlock, but he’s like, dangerous or something. He’s weird. Weird noises come around at night.”

“Uh-huh.” Anna noticed one of the girls crossing herself. It seemed there was at least some belief among the population.

“Well fine.” She tapped her pencil against the clipboard. “Warlock, monster, whatever. Maybe he likes biscuits. I’ll see what he can do about my **horrendous** selling score.”

She turned and began to stride off down the sidewalk. One of the girl actually sucked up her pride to call after her.

“Anna, seriously, don’t go there. He might be a child molester or something.”

“I’ve got mace,” She called back, “And if I go missing you know what to tell the police!” The last comment was more to instill just a little bit of guilt as she parted with them. She was tempted to just go home, but a challenge had been issued, mostly from herself to herself, but she would take it regardless.

She knew the house they had spoken of. Anna rarely went by this way, but the house was unusual enough to be memorable. Perched on top of a looming hill, it was a very old house, with peeling paint and rattling windows. The garden was overgrown and the cobblestone path upwards was patchy with grass.

Anna hesitated at the wrought iron fence at the bottom of the hill, feeling the first tingles of apprehension pulling at her stomach.

She set her jaw. Maybe it hadn’t been the best of ideas, but she wouldn’t be able to face the school now if they knew she had backed out.

The first obstacle was the fence. The gate was unlocked, but that wasn’t the problem. Anna had, a bit of an allergic reaction to jewelry made of steel, and that extended to pure iron as well. Touching it made her skin break out in a rash, at in worse times she could actually fall ill. A quick touch shouldn’t be too bad though. She bit her lip, then her hand jerked out to grasp the gate.

It wasn’t iron.

It looked like iron, it felt like iron, but the moment she touched it, she knew it wasn’t. Maybe something subconscious? Like her body somehow knew the temperature differences of iron and say, silver or aluminium?

The gate swung forward with hardly any trouble. Aluminium then, maybe, painted to look like a normal iron fence. She shrugged and continued on.

Trudging up the hill, colorful lights caught the corner of her eyes. Tiny humanoid figures, the size of her hand, darted through the air on bug’s wings. Fairies. She got that kind of hallucination every so often. It could be worse, at least she never saw stuff like bloody men with axes, or grinning faces in the walls.

There were quite a lot of fairies, actually. Usually she only saw two or three, but she counted at least ten in the yard around her. When she saw fairies, it was usually in calm, safe, nature-filled areas, so she decided to take it as a good sign, regardless of how illogical that was.

She arrived at the door. It was a big, heavy thing, with well-worn wood shining with age. Luckily, a doorbell had been installed. Anna took a deep breath, then reached up to push it.

The heavy tolling of bells echoed through the door, interrupted almost immediately by a loud crash, some shuffling, several more crashes, and muffled swearing that gradually grew louder as frantic thumping approached the door.

The door was wrenched open to reveal a blond man in his twenties leaning on the doorway. His hair was unkempt, sticking out in places, and appeared to be singed in one area. His clothes, rumpled and lopsided, had obviously been slept in for at least two nights in a row. His eyes, an almost unnatural emerald, glared down at her with a harsh intensity as he fixed her with a deep frown.

Then his scowl abruptly vanished into an expression of shock as he reared back as if slapped in the face.

“Oh blimey,” He breathed before leaning in again to squint at her, “And what in dazes ‘re you?”

“…Good afternoon, sir,” Anna answered. His mannerisms had thrown her off a bit, but all-in-all, she would take it over him trying to kidnap her. “I’m with the girl’s Brightmoor School football team. Would you be interested in buying some biscuits to support us?”

“…Biscuits,” He repeated blankly, “Football.” He was still staring at her as if she were an alien with two heads.

Anna was fast coming to a conclusion about this man. He was no warlock, wizard, or child-eater. He was, at worst, mildly schizophrenic or mentally impaired in some way, and exhibited some odd behavior frightening to others.

“Perhaps I should leave.” It was now that she found she could summon up a polite tone and disposition. It wasn’t like this man deserved any of her hard words, and she’d hate to set him off. She began to step back to hurry away down the path.

“Wait!” The man half-shouted and extended one hand out as if to grab her, and when Anna recoiled from it he hastily changed the gesture so he was simply beckoning her back. “No, no, it’s, quite all right. Er, biscuits you said? You’re selling biscuits?”

“Yes sir.”

“R, Right.” The man coughed and ran a hand over his hair, then all at once seemed to become aware of his appearance and began to straighten and smooth out his clothes in a futile attempt to appear more presentable. “Sorry for my, um, state right now. I was in the middle of something.” Anna recalled the loud crashing from before.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt-”

“It’s fine.” He waved her off. “It’s um, fine. I’ll, I’ll buy some!” He dug around in his pockets for a wallet. “Er, hang on, um-” He held his finger out, then vanished back into the house. Anna heard some more shuffling, swearing, and another crash. Anna couldn’t resist tilting her head in to peek a bit.

The interior didn’t **look** like a dungeon. It looked as old as the outside, with elegant furniture and old paintings on the wall.

“Here we go!” The man appeared again, hopping on one foot as his other was caught in was looked like a cooking pot. He managed to kick it back, then presented Anna with a tenner. “Er, I’ll take whatever buys that.”

“What kind would you like?” Anna asked. “That’s 3 boxes.”

“I don’t really-” He began, then paused, seeming to think of something, and looked down to peer at the list Anna held up. He studied it for a while, then straightened up.

“Snickerdoodles,” He said firmly. Anna nodded and marked him down for three boxes.

“Sign here?” She asked. He nodded and scrawled his name out with a loopy signature. Anna looked down at it, it was a very tight cursive, but legible.

_Arthur Kirkland_

“Thank you, Mr. Kirkland.” Anna tucked the clipboard under her arm. “The biscuits will be delivered on the 23rd, at some time between 3 and 5pm.

“Right then,” He nodded along. He was still looking at her in an odd way, as if not sure what he was seeing. Maybe he wasn’t mentally disabled. Maybe he just didn’t get many visitors.

Anna turned to leave, but Mr. Kirkland spoke up again suddenly.

“What did you say you were from? The team…?”

“Brightmoor School girl’s football,” She rattled it off, then felt a sudden pang of suspicion. “Why?”

“Oh, er,” He rubbed the back of his head as his eyes flickered to the side. “No, reason.” Anna pressed her lips together, but simply nodded and started to walk down the path. She made a mental note that, if he showed up at their practice area, to alert someone from the school immediately.

As she walked back down the hill, the fairies zipped around her, moving closer than they had before. In fact, they were outright staring at her. It was unusual for them to give her more than a passing glance, so long as she didn’t show she could see them. They whispered amongst each other, with voices jingling and tiny.

“Who’s **she**?”

“Mr. Kirkland thinks she’s interesting!”

“What’s it mean?”

“It’s cause she’s special!”

“Yeah she’s got something!”

Oh, so **now** was the time the delusions of grandeur began. She ducked her head and walked faster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Anna.


	2. Flying rabbits and footballs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Anna gets a concussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anna doesn't like ~~soccer~~ football.

“There.” She thrust the clipboard back at her team at the next practice. “ **Six** orders. Is that enough?” The girls looked at her as if she had come back from the dead. Anna didn’t bother waiting for a reply before she went marching off to change into her sportswear.

She came out to find the rest of the team doing stretches, and took her place in the back.

Something moved in the grass on the edge of a field and she looked up. At first it looked like it was just a rabbit, a rabbit with a strange green tint. Anna frowned and straightened up to see better. That rabbit was definitely green. Did it roll in some grass? Some paint? Was the paint harmful?

“Anna!” The coach called out to her, “We’re doing laps now!” Anna looked back to see the rest of the team had started running. She huffed and went after them.

She kept an eye on the rabbit as she approached it on the lap around the field. Coming closer, she found it was tinted a faint lime green. Maybe it had just been rolling in some cut grass.

But its fur was also matted in a weird way on the sides.

Wait.

Wings, that rabbit had a pair of green wings sprouting out of its back. Shit, Anna had been staring at one of her hallucinations again. She faced her head forward and stared straight ahead.

She didn’t look at it again throughout the laps, but as they got into position to practice, Anna caught sight of it again. Hovering in the air, flapping its wings that physically had no prayer of holding it aloft. It bobbed over to where she was standing at the net. She glared ahead at the ball, refusing to look at the creature.

The rabbit hovered directly in front of her face, and the strong scent of mint filled her senses. Olfactory hallucinations now, too, then? Hopefully, there was just mint on the field. She discretely shuffled to the side so she could see the ball again. The rabbit drifted into her vision again and she resisted a scowl.

It was peering at her as if she was the most fascinating thing in the world, twisting this way and that to get different angles. Anna stared straight ahead, even if all she could see was a belly of green fluff. She was not going to acknowledge it. She was not going to-

The ball creamed her right in the face, knocking off her feet. She hit the ground on her back, smacking her head against the grass. Stars danced around her vision as she lay splayed out in the goal. It took her a few seconds to process what had happened. She felt a warm trickle down her cheek, and concerned voices murmuring around her.

“Make way!” The coach appeared above her, then knelt down. “You alright there, Anna?”

“Ow.” Anna answered.

“Spacing out a bit, were we?” The coach joked, then added in a more serious tone. “Don’t get up or move your head. They’re sending for the nurse for a concussion test.” The coach wiped at the blood leaking from her nose with a tissue. “Do you feel nauseated? Seeing any stars of the like?”

Anna didn’t answer. She was staring at the green rabbit hovering over the heads of the other girls. It looked actually contrite, fluttering this way and that and shooting her concerned looks. Abruptly, it went whizzing away and out of sight.

A nurse arrived. She shined the light into Anna’s eyes, then did a few more tests before grimacing and nodding.

“You’ve got a concussion, all right.” The nurse carefully helped her sit up. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you to a bed.”

Anna stumbled to her feet with the nurse’s aid, and as they headed for the edge of the field, she saw a large animal step out of the woods. Walking on four slender legs, it’s white pelt and silver mane shone in the afternoon sun.

“Horse?” She croaked. The nurse blinked, then followed her gaze. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to her.

“Sorry, sweetie?”

“…I’m hoarse,” Anna answered as a cover-up, “Can I have some water?”

The animal walked closer as the coach grabbed a cup of water from the cooler. Anna had by now spotted the gleaming white horn sprouting from the top of its head, and the familiar green rabbit floating along beside it.

The unicorn made a soft snuffling noise while the rabbit whizzed over to Anna.

“I’m sorry!” It squeaked. Of course. Of course it could talk. “It’s my fault for distracting you! I brought a mate to help, though!”

Anna ignored them both, even as the unicorn stepped forward. It touched its nose to her shoulder. It felt warm and solid, and Anna couldn’t help but pause. The unicorn snuffled, then pressed its head forward to nuzzle the side of her head.

“Miss?” The nurse tried to get her attention, but Anna could hardly hear her. The soft warmth from the unicorn flowed into her head. The ache in her skull faded, and her vision cleared. The fog in her head vanished to be replaced with perfect clarity. She reached up to touch her nose and found the bleeding had stopped.

“I’m fine,” She said as the nurse tried to tug her forward. The nurse’s eyebrows drew together and she offered a strained smile.

“Miss-”

“Do the test again,” Anna demanded. “I feel fine.” The nurse’s fake smile tightened, but she fished her light out of her pocket to check Anna’s eyes again.

The nurse frowned, then ran her through all the tests again, then a third time. Anna passed them all easily. In fact, she felt even more alert than usual.

“How on earth…?” The nurse started, then shook her head. “Er, well, you should probably still sit the rest of practice out, and swing by the office tomorrow for another test, if you could.”

“Ok.” Anna wasn’t about to argue with sitting out of practice. She took a spot on the bench and sat down while the rest of the girls went back to their practice. She could see some of them glancing back at her, exchanging a few whispers here and there. They could be gossiping, or expressing concern. Anna had a strong theory on which one it was.

The unicorn trotted up to her and snorted once. Anna hesitated, then turned her head to look at it. The other girls would just assume she was staring at something else. The unicorn stared at her with deep black eyes, still as stone.

“…Thank you,” Anna said finally, her lips hardly moving. If anyone asked, she had been praying. The unicorn lowered its head a bit, then turned and went trotting off into the forest once more.

The rabbit went with it. It was the first time acknowledging the creatures had caused them to leave her alone. Anna took another sip of her water and spent the rest of practice in silent contemplation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus begins Arthur's first well-intentioned meddling.


	3. The return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which cookies are delivered.

Today was the day.

Anna stood outside the not-iron wrought fence, three boxes of snickerdoodles in her hands. She could have brought another teammate, but it just didn’t seem worth it. If something happened, she would smash his face in and that would be that. Simple enough.

Best to get it over with quickly. She marched up the path, ignoring the fairies as she went. The ancient house loomed over her as she approached. She hesitated, then punched the doorbell.

There was no crashing this time, just some scuffling and footsteps before the door opened.

He looked actually decent this time. He was wearing a button-up shirt and a pair of trousers, both of which were clean and ironed.

“Hullo-” He started before Anna shoved the boxes at him.

“Three boxes of snickerdoodles for Arthur Kirkland.” She declared. Her words, drenched in formality, stacked up to form a wall between them. Mr. Kirkland accepted the boxes, fumbling them a little before clutching them to his chest.

“R, Right then-”

“Thank you for supporting our team,” She finished, then turned to leave.

A swarm blocked her way. A swarm of tiny figures with wings, darting around in a cloud and staring at her. Other creatures had appeared. Stout men that were only as tall as her shins, rabbits with antlers, ghostly figures that looks like they were stitched together from sheer fabrics.

They were blocking her way.

They were watching her.

“Can you see them?” Mr. Kirkland’s voice spoke softly behind her. Anna didn’t answer. She just stared and stared, unable to move forward. “The fairies?” Mr. Kirkland pressed. Anna still didn’t answer. If she said yes, she was as mad as he was.

Mr. Kirkland sighed. “Alright, enough of all this.” He stepped forward and waved a hand, shooing at the creatures. They obeyed him, shuffling off to the side to open the pathway again.

“Look,” He addressed Anna, “I, um, realize seeing these things may be, disconcerting.” He raised one hand as if to pat her shoulder, then dropped it when she shied away. “Er, anyhow. If you’re interested, I highly recommend you stop by again with any questions. I have a few things I would like to tell you-” Anna took off striding down the path before he could finish. Her long strides turning into a jog, then a full-on sprint to the bottom of the hill. The fairies chattered around her. She saw something lime green out of the corner of her eye.

She kept running, running, running, until her own house came into view. She came to a stop in the front garden, feet spread wide apart as she gasped heavy breathes in and out. Her heart was crashing against her chest and sweat was running down her back. She forced a swallow, coughed, then fell to her knees. She lay down there, curled up on the grass and staring at the hydrangea bushes.

A tiny fairy emerged from the flowers to peer at her curiously. Anna groaned and closed her eyes.

She wasn’t mad. He was mad. He saw things. She saw things. If he was mad, so was she.

She wasn’t mad.

She wasn’t.


	4. The Tell-Tale Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Curiosity is a powerful force for plucky teenager protagonists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Down the rabbit hole you go, Anna.

She was curious.

The ancient house loomed over her. She had no cookies to deliver, no reason to be back here, except her own.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then moved through the gate.

The fairies, rabbits, and ghosts were all still there, but they kept their distance. The fairies hid behind the flowers and whispered among themselves. The ghosts hovered off to the side, watching her silently. Some had marks of their deaths, wounds on their neck, emaciated features.

But they weren’t as scary as the door Anna that stood before. The door that, if she chose to knock on, it would mean the resolution of her own actions down this path.

She knocked, rapping her knuckles three times against the wood. First, silence, then footsteps.

The door opened. Mr. Kirkland stood there, wearing a pair of jeans and a Beatles t-shirt. Neither of them said anything for a while, but rather just stared at each other. Finally, Mr. Kirkland cleared his throat.

“…Come in,” He said simply.

He moved aside, and Anna stepped inside.

The lobby had several doorways, one leading to a living room, the other to a dining room. Both were decorated in the same old ornate style. Mr. Kirkland led the way into the living room.

“Have a seat wherever you want. I’ll um,” He rubbed the back of his neck, “-make some tea? Er, I mean, would you care for some tea?”

Anna wasn’t sure if it was a bad sign that he was being so awkward, or a good one that he wasn’t acting comfortable in a sketchy situation like this. Either way, she nodded, and chose one of the armchairs, the seat closest to the door and window. He gave a hasty nod and disappeared into the doorway.

Anna looked around the room. Everything about it seemed like it had come out of a Victorian era movie. Did people even use doilies anymore? The mantel was decorated with a ceremonial sword and some medals. It looked like he had been in the military. Her eyebrows crawled upward as she recognized a particular coat of arms, decorated with gold and red. Was that real?

There was also a figurine of the Yellow Submarine from the movie tucked away on the mantel, as well as a miniature TARDIS. The juxtaposition was enough to make Anna’s mouth twitch upwards.

Her eyes fell on a box on the top shelf. It seemed rather out of place, though Anna couldn’t put her finger on why. It had a smooth red exterior, trimmed with black and some small gold decorations.

The more Anna stared at it, the more it gave her a feeling of unease. Something pulsed in her ears, once, twice. It felt like her heartbeat. She brought her fingers to her neck to check her pulse and make sure it was normal. It was actually banging hard and fast, and what’s more, it was not matching with the pulsing in her ears, which was slow and even.

She got up, then skirted around the coffee table to approach the shelf. The steady thudding grew louder. It was a heavy, powerful *thud-thud.* She stared up at the box until she was completely sure it was coming from within. Her hand crawled upwards, reaching for the box.

“Don’t touch that.”

Her arm snapped down and she whirled around. Mr. Kirkland was standing there, holding a tray with two cups and a teapot. He didn’t look, angry exactly, but there was a slight tenseness to his face.

“S, Sorry Mr. Kirkland,” She stammered.

“It’s fine,” He grunted and shooed two fairies off the coffee table so he could set the tray down. “That’s just, not something you should mess around with. Also, you can call me Arthur.” He looked up at her, suddenly embarrassed. “Actually, I, ah, didn’t ever catch your name…”

“Anna,” She responded shortly. He nodded.

“Right, Anna, lovely name.” He took a seat down at the couch while Anna returned to her chair. “So!” He began and folded his hands together on his knee. “Er, I believe it would be best if we started with any questions you might have?”

“Is that real?” Anna pointed to the medal she had noticed, making him blink in surprise. “Were you really knighted? Officially?”

“Ah, well, yes.” He coughed and shrugged. “It was, a while ago I had forgotten-”

“How old are you?” Anna suddenly in an attempt to catch him off guard. Arthur grimaced.

“I’m,” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking a little sheepish. “Significantly older than you would expect. Let’s just say you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“You’ve aged well,” Anna commented politely. He chuckled.

“Thank you. But, are there any er, more interesting questions you wanted to ask? About the things you see?”

Anna wasn’t sure how to begin with that route, so she threw out the first question that popped into her mind.

“Why isn’t your fence actually iron?” Arthur’s eyebrows rose up at that, and there was a gleam in his eye, as if he had just deduced something that Anna hadn’t.

“Ah, you could tell.” He leaned forward to pour himself a cup of tea. “That’s because it would keep the fae away. They wouldn’t come near here with iron ringing the whole place around.” Anna pursed her lips.

“From the stories I’ve heard, the fair folk are not something you would invite freely into your home.” She dipped her head to the two fairies, who were playing with the things on the mantel. “Pardon me, that’s just something I’ve heard.” She felt a little silly, but it couldn’t hurt to be polite, especially if they were actually real.”

“Yes well,” Arthur smirked and waved his hand, “I have, other methods of making sure no mischief is done on my grounds.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Can you feel it? Something about the atmosphere of my property?”

Anna paused for a moment, thinking. “No,” She finally answered. He seemed surprised, but he shrugged it off.

“No matter.” He cleared his throat, again, then gave her a nervous look. “Er, now, you don’t have to answer, mind you, I understand, but I’m curious about your family. Rather, do you live with your biological parents?”

Anna thought for a while before decided it wouldn’t hurt to answer. “I live with my mum,” She said, “My dad’s gone, and I’ve got a stepdad.”

“Ah, I see.” He nodded and rubbed his chin. His mind seemed to be working hard as he stared at the teapot. “Did you ever hear any odd stories about your dad? Does your mother see the fairies too?”

“I don’t know a thing about my dad,” She answered immediately, “And no, my mum can’t see them. She probably thinks I stopped seeing them when I was a kid.”

“I see, I see,” He nodded to himself, his mind still working. Anna looked down at her own teacup.

“Can you prove to me that they’re real?” She asked softly.

“Hm?” He looked up at her again, then his eyes lit up in comprehension. “Ah, yes, of course. They ah,” He flicked his hand, gesturing that the two fairies come toward him. “I assure you, they’re real, and you are not mad.” He smiled faintly as he offered the two fairies each a sugar cube. “I take it antipsychotics never helped, if you took any?”

“I never took any.” Anna watched the fairies consume the sugar. It did seem to be disappearing as they ate. Arthur snorted.

“Probably good that you didn’t.” He clasped his hands together and offered her a smile. “Well, how’s this for a parlor trick, then?” He closed his eyes, and a soft green glow leaked out of the cracks of his fingers. Anna leaned in with interest, then jerked back as he snapped his hands out and a familiar creature appeared in the air with an audible pop.

“I have a talent for summoning magic,” He declared with more than a touch of pride, “This is a dear mate of mine, her name is-”

“YOU!” Anna jabbed a finger at the floating green rabbit, who squeaked and zipped around to hide behind Arthur, who gave Anna a bewildered look.

“Er-”

“That thing is the reason I got a concussion.” The rabbit cowered in guilt, which made Anna feel a little bad for it, then she realized Arthur was looking rather guilty himself. “Did you…” Her eyes narrowed, “-send that thing to spy on me?”

“No!” Arthur yelped immediately, then his face filled up red before he coughed and hastily looked away to examine a houseplant. “I mean, spy isn’t the word I would use, I certainly didn’t-”

“What were the exact words then?” Anna cut in, “You sent it, didn’t you?”

“Not maliciously!” Arthur flung his hands up to wave her off as he shook his head. “Just to check on you!”

“What made you think I needed to be checked on?”

“Let me explain.” Arthur snapped, then groaned and closed his eyes. “It was…” He sighed and rubbed his temples. “I wasn’t sure about, your situation, if you were in danger, or how much you knew, so I sent Mint Bunny here to observe a bit. She wasn’t supposed to bother you or anything!”

“I got thumped in the nose with the ball because she was hovering in my face.”

“And she’s very sorry!” Arthur gestured with both hands at the contrite rabbit. “She said she even found her unicorn mate to help you!”

“Well…yes, she did,” Anna admitted grudgingly, “But it was still generally unpleasant.”

“I’m sorry!” Mint Bunny squeaked. “I wasn’t paying attention! I’ll be more careful from now on!” Anna pursed her lips as she watched the small creature. She frowned, then sighed. The rabbit really was too adorable.

“I forgive you.”

The rabbit squealed in happiness and shot forward to tackle her in the chest. She grunted as the overwhelming smell of mint hit her.

“Alright…” She patted the rabbit as it nuzzled at her, “Alright, alright…” She heard Arthur cover a snicker behind a cough and shot him a glare.

“Well, um,” Arthur crossed his legs and nodded to her and Mint Bunny. “Any other questions you had?”

“This is real,” Was all she could say. She pointed to Mint Bunny. “This, This is real. This whole time, it’s been real.”

“Well, er, yes.” Arthur shrugged. “I realize that can be a lot to take in, if you were raised believing otherwise.” He peered at Anna in an odd way, as if trying to discern something out of her. “Anyhow, have you had any trouble with them? Actually, has anyone strange or suspicious ever approached you?” His face hardened. “Has anyone or anything, whether they seemed real or imagined, acted maliciously toward you?”

“Once some bloke tried to abduct me,” Anna offered with a shrug, “Took self-defense classes after that.” Arthur went pale at that.

“…Well, then.” He took a sip of tea, then swallowed. “I’m, er, glad he failed? Did you get out unharmed?”

“Ye. I threw a hot cider at him and ran.”

“That’s, good.” He swallowed again and nodded. “Yes, good.” Anna just shrugged again. “Er, not to dredge up bad memories-”

“Don’t care,” Anna told him.

“Right, brilliant, er, was there anything odd about him? This bloke…git?”

“Aside from the usual creepiness, not that I noticed.”

“Right, right, of course.” He waved his hand as if to dispel the current topic. Anna crossed her arms and leaned back.

“So, do I have reason to believe I’m in danger?” Arthur didn’t answer at first. Instead, he leaned in to scrutinize her for a long time, chin resting on his hand.

“…I don’t know,” He finally answered, “But I do know, there’s no shortage of unscrupulous people in this world. You have…something, that sets you apart from other people, and that something, whatever it is, may be valuable to some people.”

“Brilliant,” Anna mumbled and rolled her eyes.

“No need to fret, though!” Arthur waved his hand and muttered something under his breath, and a pen appeared in his hand. He beamed at Anna, then waved his other hand and muttered something else. A tie popped into his hand. Arthur’s eyebrows drew together, then he coughed and let the tie drop to his side. “Wrong bookmark spell, sorry.” He repeated the gesture and spell. This time, it was a pair of briefs. Anna quirked an eyebrow at him. His face turned beet red as he hastily stuffed it under the sofa. “O-One more time, now!” He closed his eyes and concentrated for a second, then cast the spell again and finally a notepad appeared in his hand. “Ah-ha!” He gave a triumphant grin, then shook his head to compose himself before quickly scribbling something down. He ripped it off, then held it out to Anna. “Here, my number. Call me if anyone suspicious bothers you,” His face fell into a scowl, “-Magical or otherwise.”

“Noted,” She accepted the number. “I should probably go now. I told my mum I wouldn’t be too late.”

“Righto.” He nodded and got up. “I uh, take it you’ll be alright on your own?”

“Ye.” She nodded to him. “Thank you for having me, good afternoon,” She nodded to the rabbit and fairies as well, “And good afternoon to you all as well.” They chattered a farewell as she headed out the door. Arthur saw her off, watching her as she began to walk down the path.

“…Anna,” He called after her. She stopped, then turned back.

“Yes?” He faced her with a grim look.

“Be careful.” Anna paused, then nodded.

“I will, thank you.”

“And um,” He cupped his hand to his mouth as she continued down the hill, “Come again! If you want!”

“I’ll think about it!” She called back. She would, but she was still on the fence over what the resolution would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The speed at which Arthur goes into parent mode almost makes you forget what a shit parent he's been in the past.


	5. A New Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna, meet Ivan. He's ok, we promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anna: Guess I'll visit again.  
> Ivan: Hi.  
> Anna: R E G R E T

Somehow or another, Saturday found Anna once again trudging up the hill to the house. It wasn’t like she had anything else to do anyways. She banged on the door and Arthur answered a second later. His face broke into a grin that was more in relief than in greeting.

“You’re here,” He stated, as if to verify. Anna nodded.

“I’m here.”

“Well,” He moved aside, “Come on in, then. Actually, there’s someone you should meet.”

She stepped inside, and they headed into the living room, but instead of entering, she stopped at the doorway.

A large man was sitting in the armchair. His hair was a light beige, matching the coat he wore. He also had a scarf wrapped around his neck, as if he had arrived from the middle of a blizzard instead of the early autumn drifting through the UK at the moment. He lounged back in the chair with his legs crossed. His head was turned away from her as he watched the fireplace, lit despite the weather.

“Hm?” He looked over to peer at her with startling lilac eyes. He had a round, almost childish face, with a large nose and a pale complexion. He offered a wide smile, but friendly as it was, Anna felt a shiver of foreboding.

“Arthur, who is this?” He asked. His accent hinted at Slavic.

“My name is Anna Clark,” Anna offered a small curtsy. Something about this man was throwing her into a state of caution. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it was like an instinctual alarm was going off in her head. “Pleased to meet you, sir.”

“This is Ivan,” Arthur waved a hand at him. Ivan inclined his head in greeting. “He’s my life partner, for better or worse.”

“He’s embarrassed by how much he loves me,” Ivan told her with an amused melody to his words. Anna snorted while Arthur muttered something under his breath.

“I’m going to get another cup,” Arthur declared, “Ivan-” He hesitated, “...Don’t scare her.”

With that potentially foreboding remark, he vanished off to the kitchen. Anna stayed where she was, pretending to look around at the room while keeping an eye on Ivan. Ivan watched her silently, the same friendly expression pasted frozen on his face.

Finally: “Are you the one who brought the cookies?” He asked. Anna blinked then noticed the familiar cookies on the coffee table. Ivan smiled and took a sip of tea (the cup looked comically tiny in his massive hand), then waved a hand at the snickerdoodles. “They’re my favorite.”

“I didn’t choose them,” Anna couldn’t think of anything else to say, “Arthur did. I just sold them.” Ivan gave her a curious look.

“Are you in need of money?”

“It was a campaign for my football team,” She answered with just a little bit of a flat tone. Ivan didn’t seem to notice, or maybe he was already plotting a murder site, it could be either one.

“Oh.” He took another sip of tea, then his face cracked into another wide smile.

“So,” He began, “What are you?”

“I-” Anna started, “-What?”

“What are you?” Ivan repeated as Arthur returned with a cup.

“Ivan,” Arthur scolded him, “You’re making her uncomfortable.”

“I’m...” She answered hesitantly, “British.” Ivan hummed and nodded. He had an amused twinkle in his eyes, as if they were playing a game.

“Yes, I knew that.”

“I’m a student, year 11.” Anna tried again, though her mind was carefully turning over just how much information she was willing to give to him. “I’m,” She looked down at herself. She was wearing blue jeans, and her jacket hid her flat chest. “I’m a girl, if you couldn’t tell.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Ivan said patiently.

“Enough, Ivan.” Arthur put the cup down on the coffee table, “Anna, do you want some tea? It’s earl grey.”

Anna didn’t answer. Ivan was still staring at her, and she found herself unable to look away. There was a right answer here somewhere.

“I’m 15 years old,” She continued, “I’m white, I’m a Pisces, I’m, human-” Ivan interrupted her with a soft chuckle.

“Little one,” He spoke with an endearing tone, “You are only a little more human than we are.”

The words sunk into Anna’s mind and awoke confusion, annoyance, and a deep rolling sense of unease. Arthur set the teapot down hard, snapping her out of it and making them both turn to look at him.

“ **Tea** ??” He asked again, flashing a strained grin. Anna blinked, then shook her head.

“No, thank you.”

“It’s good,” Ivan commented as if the unnerving words had never been spoken. “Ангел is not good at most cooking, but he can make tea very well.” Arthur sputtered and shot him a glare.

“I can cook just fine!”

“You really cannot.”

“What did you call him?” Anna asked. “Engal?”

“Nothing,” Arthur muttered as he poured her a cup of tea anyways. “Ignore Ivan. He tends to be a bit difficult sometimes.” Ivan seemed to take that as a cue, because he spoke up again.

“These cookies are very good, by the way.” Arthur shot him another glare.

“Biscuits?”

“I could buy a truck of them.”

“Lorry. It’s lorry you-”

Ivan leaned forward and popped a cookie into his mouth to cut him off. Arthur made a strangled noise of surprise, chewed, then swallowed to scowl at Ivan, who just smiled back.

Anna snorted, then her smile faded as she saw something flicker around Ivan. Torn rags shifted around his form, floating as if underwater. A wrinkled, ancient face appeared, staring at her grimly.

“Ah.” Without looking, Ivan waved one hand, and the figure dissipated. “Sorry, sometimes he’ll pop out like this.”

“Is that,” Anna blinked rapidly, “Was that, a ghost?”

“I would not call him a ghost exactly,” Ivan took another sip of tea, “He is something a little stronger than that.”

“You’re being ominous again,” Arthur chided him, and Ivan turned to smile at him.

“Should I give her the details, then?” Arthur’s face screwed up before he huffed and poured himself another cup of tea.

“Fine, vague is fine, at the moment.”

Ivan chuckled again. Anna looked between the two of them.

“Does he,” Anna tilted her head toward Ivan, “-Live here too?”

“No,” Arthur poured another cup of tea out for Ivan, “But he is over an awful lot, and don’t worry, he may seem a little scary at first, but he means you no harm.”

Anna made the mental not that he didn’t go with the usual assurance of “he’s harmless.” Ivan just continued to smile at her.

“I can’t bear to be away from Ангел for long, and he gets more lonely than he lets on,” Ivan grinned at her, “so it’s nice that he’s made another friend.” Arthur shot him a dirty look while Anna resisted a snort.

“That’s ‘lonelier’,” Arthur muttered the correction under his breath.

“Are you Russian?” Anna asked, guessing by the accent. Ivan nodded and his smile widened.

“Дa, yes, I live in Moscow.”

“That’s a bit of a trip,” Anna remarked, “Do you take a plane over for the weekends?”

“Oh no.” Ivan reached for another cookie. “I have other methods of travel.” He didn’t elaborate, deciding to instead munch on the cookie with a pleased noise. Anna scowled at him, then helped herself to a cookie of her own.

Something seemed different about the room today. Anna glanced over at the shelf. The box was in its usual place, but silent, she couldn’t hear the strange thumping from before.

“Does that box interest you?” Ivan asked. Anna looked back at him.

“What’s inside?”

“Nothing,” Ivan answered. Arthur took a convenient and long sip of tea when Anna glanced over at him for more information.

“Well then,” Anna checked her mobile, “I should head home, soon. My mum’s gonna start worrying.”

“Take care,” Ivan told her as she got up, “Come again, soon. It would be nice.”

“…Right,” Anna answered, a bit uncertain. “Er, nice to meet you.”

She moved quickly, and was out the door before Arthur could get up to see her out. Arthur sighed, then shot Ivan a dirty look.

“What was with the line about being human?!” Arthur scolded him. Ivan blinked innocently at him.

“Should I have lied?”

“You didn’t have to go scaring her like that!” Arthur huffed and began to clear away the dishes. “Especially with the part implying we  **aren’t** human.”

“You wanted me to lie.”

“Not lie,” Arthur correct him, “It just, wasn’t something you would mention so soon, so casually.”

“Do you know what she is?” Ivan asked Arthur, who shook his head.

“Not the faintest. She could pass through my barrier, but said she didn’t even feel it.”

“Hmmm...” Ivan took another sip of his tea. “She’s at least a little human.”

“Yes, it seems-” They broke off as the door opened again.

“Forgot my mobile,” Anna mumbled as she walked quickly over to the couch. “Sorry.” Arthur blinked and looked down, spotting the phone tucked up against the arm.

“Oh no trouble.” He grabbed it just as she reached for it. “Here you-” He broke off as he caught sight of the screen. Anna snatched it out of his hand.

“Thank you. Goodbye.” She turned and made a hasty exit, shutting the door behind her.

“…She was recording us,” Ivan commented. Arthur groaned and nodded, rubbing his temples.

“She’s an, interesting one.”

“She does not trust us,” Ivan leaned back, “Not fully, but a little bit. I think she will go around.”

“Come around,” Arthur corrected him as he sat down again. “And God, I bloody hope so.” He heaved a sigh and let himself slump back against the couch. “I can’t believe she’s managed to survive this long on his own without either blowing herself up her attracting someone’s attention.”

“She may have attracted someone who is just very good at hiding and very patient.”

“I am  **aware** .” Arthur groaned and pressed his fingers to his temples. “This is going to get messy, I can already tell.”

In one smooth motion Ivan slipped out of the armchair to tackle Arthur into a hug, tossing them back onto the couch. Arthur gave a surprised yelp that faded into disgruntled muttering. Ivan just hummed and lay across him. He rested his chin on Arthur’s chest, grinning at the other’s glare.

“Ivan get off.”

“No. I am sleep now.”

“You can’t sleep on me!”

“Snore, snore.” Ivan buried his face into Arthur’s shirt. “Z, Z, Z.”

“You’re such an arse.”

“Дa, but you love me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arthur would call him his husband, but legally, they aren’t married. Too much of a hassle to work around how two young men have been married for 100 years.


	6. Learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adoption force in full swing.

The days passed, and Anna kept visiting, at least a few times a week. Arthur enthusiastically began to instruct her in the basic ways of magic, starting with simple things like starting fires and healing scratches.

“The first step,” He told her, “Is to find where your affinity lies. That’s what you’re going to have a talent for.”

Ivan was there often as well, and gradually, Anna came to grow accustomed to him. He tried to teach her a few things as well, but she had a lot of trouble grasping his style, so instead he settled with teaching her some Russian as well as telling her embarrassing stories about Arthur.

“Here he is in his punk phase!” Ivan sang out and offered her a very old photograph. “He keeps telling me ‘get rid of photo’ but I like photo.” Anna snorted while Arthur sputtered something in the background. She then frowned, and flipped the photo over, but there was no date. It was clearly an old picture, but Arthur didn’t look any younger than he did now (unless leather and spikes had a magical way of making people look more mature.)

“When was this taken?” She asked Ivan, who shrugged.

“Hm, 1991?”

Anna cocked an eyebrow, then glanced over at Arthur, who was busying himself rearranging the teacups for no discernible reason.

“I may as well ask again,” She began, “How old are you?”

“Oh, bollocks,” Arthur sighed and ran a hand over his hair. “I’m, old, older than any human.”

“So...in years?”

“437.”

“Oh,” Anna reached for a cookie. “That’s not so bad. How about Ivan?”

“741,” Ivan answered easily. Anna snorted.

“My, that’s quite an age gap. Scandalous.”

“Oh please,” Arthur waved her off, “It hardly matters once we’re both past a hundred.”

“You are being bad influence to little Aнгелочек,” Ivan commented.

Ivan had taken to calling Anna “Aнгелочек,” _Engelochek_. A diminutive form of what he called Arthur: Aнгел, Angel. That made her little angel, or angel-let.

There was probably a reason she hadn’t thrown a book at him for that. She kept telling herself it was because she was playing the cautious game.

But at the same time, she was rarely more relaxed than she was sitting in the elegant living room, having tea and learning how to make plants grow or how to make the wind blow, watching Arthur quip at Ivan with exasperated affection and Ivan answering it with his calm cheerfulness.

One day found her walking home, reciting the spells she had learned in her head and muttering a few under her breath. She paused then took a quick look around. The street was deserted. She cupped her hands together and whispered one of the spells under her breath. A soft flame curled upwards in her palm, flickering with the intensity of a lighter. She smirked in satisfaction.

“We’ve got a bloomin witch here.”

She slapped her hands shut and whirled around to face the man leaning against the building. He had definitely not been there a second ago.

“Who are you?” She kept her voice steady and sharp, calculating over whether she could make it home at a full sprint. She could. “What do you want?”

“Nothing.” He raised both hands, and didn’t make any movement toward her. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a hoodie, with a generally unremarkable face and hairstyle. “I was being serious, you’re a witch, just blooming.” He held his own hand palm up, and a long tongue of flame rose up to lick at the air. “I could teach you some further tricks, if you want.”

“I have a tutor already,” Anna answered flatly and moved to keep walking.

“I am aware.” The sharp, dark tone of his voice gave her pause. She glared at him. His face had changed to a serious, heavy expression. “You do not know what kind of man Arthur Kirkland is.”

“Uh-huh.” Anna kept going, pulling her phone out of her pocket. “Stop talking to me. I will call the police.”

“That man consorts with demons, and practices unclean magic.” He called after her. “Do not go there again. Do not go there tomorrow.” Anna whirled around to snap at him, but he was gone. She whipped her head around, but the street was empty again. A shudder ran through her and she took off at a full run back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp.
> 
> Ivan: I teach you magic.  
> Anna: It's not working.  
> Ivan: I teach you how to swear in Russian.


	7. The Calling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna isn't great at following directions.

Out of sheer spite, she decided to go to Arthur’s house the next day. Ivan had mentioned that he wouldn’t be able to come by this week, so Arthur was probably lonely anyways. She’d ask him to teach her more fire magic.

A sharp buzz filled the air, giving her pause. It was like a pressure was pushing at her ears. She looked up at the sky, then shook her head. The buzzing faded a second later. Must have been a hearing cell going or something.

But now she was starting to feel nauseated and dizzy. Was it the flu? She huffed and forced herself onward.

She pushed open the fence and immediately noticed the absence of any creatures. No fairies hovered around the flowers. No unicorns grazed at the grass. Anna froze at the bottom of the path, hand still on the fence. The air felt dead, polluted, unnaturally still. She raised her head to stare up at the house. Nothing **seemed** out of the ordinary, but at the same time, it just felt, odd.

Then Arthur burst out of the door and came running down the hill toward her. He looked like a mess, his jacket half-buttoned and his shirt-tails sticking out of his trousers, which lacked a belt. He had something large clutched to his chest, which Anna recognized as he drew closer.

“Anna,” He gasped and shoved the object, the box from the shelf, into her hands, then slapped something on top: a train ticket, “You need to leave. Now.”

“Leave?” Anna echoed, then her eyebrows drew together. “What in-”

“No time to explain,” He clapped her on the shoulder with one hand, then closed her eyes and bowed his head before etching a symbol in the air above her head. He spoke as if reciting a familiar poem from memory. “By ocean wind and salt and pearl, no malicious gaze shall reach this girl.” Anna felt a soft hum over her face and thought she caught a faint whiff of the ocean breeze for a second. Arthur grimaced down at his hand. “Blast, magic’s gone weaker than I thought, but that should be enough.” Arthur looked up to meet her eyes. “Anna, take this box,” He tapped the ticket. “Catch the train to Paris. Find a man named Francis Bonnefoy and tell him I sent you. If that fool has at least an ounce of sense, he’ll know what to do from there. At the very least, make sure he calls Ivan.”

“Why don’t you call him now?” Anna asked but Arthur shook his head and nudged her off down the street.

“No time, love. Don’t know how much they’re watching, but you should be safe on the journey. Sorry to throw all this on you, but it’s the best plan I have and the safest option for you, if they know you exist.”

“ **Who**? And did you just call me-”

“Go!” Arthur snapped, and this time his voice had such a startling note to it that Anna could only blink, then nod.

“I’m getting an explanation later!” She called before walking swiftly away. Arthur answered with a faint smile, one that was both relieved and masking a strong anxiety. It did nothing to ease Anna’s nerves, and when she glanced back a second time, he was gone.

She grumbled something under his breath as she checked the ticket, it would leave in half an hour, so she had to hurry. She had half the mind to go marching right back to make him explain himself, but this seemed important.

She began to walk the other way toward the station, but didn’t get a full block before the humming returned into the air, hard enough to make her ears hurt. She choked and stumbled, cradling the box to cram her palm over one ear.

It faded after a few seconds, but was replaced by a thick, palatable foreboding. Something was wrong. Something was wrong. Something was **wrong** and it had to do with Arthur. He was in trouble, far more trouble than she could remedy with her palm-fire trick.

Call Ivan. He was in Moscow, but maybe he would be able to come in time. She fumbled for her phone before it hit her that she didn’t have his number, only Arthur’s.

Bad, this was bad. The foreboding feeling was so strong she thought she was going to throw up. She forced it down, taking slow, hard breathes in and out through her nose. No panicking. Panicking was bad. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest.

And that was went she noticed the steady thumping against her arms, coming from the box. She slowly looked down at it.

It was a long shot, but…

She glanced around, then moved into the shadows of an alleyway before kneeling down with the box in her lap. It had a sliding top. She pressed her hand against it, took a deep breath, then moved the lid aside.

A heart. A human heart, exceptionally large. Anna knew it would be one, but it still startled her enough that she snapped the lid back into place. She swallowed, weakly, then stared up at the sky and took several, slow breathes.

Whatever this thing was, it was powerful. She could feel it beating against her hands. It was alive. It was definitely magical, strong enough, valuable enough that Arthur wanted it safe.

Too bad it didn’t come with an instruction manual.

She set her jaw and got to her feet again. She would figure this out. She might make a right mess of things but she should be able to figure **something** out.

She took off at a fast pace, down the street and toward the forest.

 

000

 

A couple of fairies tittered around her nervously as she set the box down on a flat rock. She was sitting on the bank of a river, the water curving around her in a loop. The water bubbled over a shelf of rocks here, and there were a few large boulders sitting together.

Anna had felt this place to be rather magical even before meeting Arthur. Now, she figured it was her best bet to boost her powers. She slid the lid off, grimacing down at the organ. It beat steadily, and appeared to be full of blood, but none leaked out of the detached vessels. The heart was pumping the blood elsewhere, somehow.

She reached inside and gingerly curled her hands around it. She jolted in surprise. It was frigid. She had expected it to at least be lukewarm.

She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them and lifted it up. This was just like bio, just like bio. That’s what she told herself as she stared down the organ.

Something pulsed that wasn’t its heartbeat nor her own. She frowned, then closed her eyes, focusing. She felt it again. Faint, like someone calling to her from across a field. She listened harder. Whatever it was, it was strong, like a perpetually raging arctic blizzard. It was far away, which was the only reason she wasn’t completely overwhelmed.

Now to bring it closer.

She called back, feeling her way forward with trial and error. It was a little like trying to wade into the ocean, except the waves were beating against you much harder, much faster, also the wind was blowing against you, and seagulls were attacking you. Something akin to that.

Anna grit her teeth and moved on. There was something at the other end of that shore, something that could help her.

She thrust her hand outward. If that thing decided to bite it off, she would have another. With one last final drive she shoved herself forward and grabbed her target, yanking it toward her.

The heart exploded in a flash of teal and purple light, throwing her backwards. She thankfully didn’t land in the water, though she scraped her arm on the dirt and rocks and probably stained the back of her clothes. She groaned and rubbed her head, which now had a steady, throbbing ache to it.

“Ангелочек?”

Her head snapped up. Ivan stood over her, looking down at her with a surprised expression. Anna gaped up at him, mouth hanging open. He was still wearing his scarf, but his coat was replaced with a thin black polo neck.

Ivan’s gaze slowly lowered to look down at himself, then his hand went up to touch his chest. He closed his eyes, listening, then opened them. He caught sight of the box lying open by Anna. An emotion flashed across his face. It came and went before Anna had time to read it, but she saw enough to feel it was something terrible.

He turned to her, face calm.

“Where is Arthur?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's take a moment to imagine how funny it would be if Francis was at home enjoying a cup of wine when this tiny feral child kicks his door open holding a box with a live heart in it like "HEY HOLY FUCK ARTHUR SENT ME."  
> Francis, dabbing wine off his shirt: Of course Arthur sent you.


	8. Storm the Gates

“You should stay here, Ангелочек.”

“No.” Anna crossed her arms and stared up resolutely at the gate. “Whatever’s happening up there, I’m coming.”

“Ok.” Ivan stepped forward, pushing the gate aside. “They have done something to this land, weakening Arthur’s kind of magic and perhaps expanding their own. They will not see us coming, but stay behind me.” He offered his hand to her, and after a second, Anna took it.

They walked up the hill. After the past few weeks, Anna couldn’t help but be chilled by the lack of creatures around them.

They paused at the door. They could hear the sound of furniture and dishes breaking inside. Ivan released his hold on Anna, and her hands clenched into fists.

“Now,” Ivan faced Anna and flashed her a wide smile, “Now, they will be able to see us.” He turned and slammed his foot against the door, making it crash open.

The lobby was a wreck. The banister had been smashed. A dresser had been dragged in and broken to pieces. The carpet had been pulled up and shoved to one side.

The room was full of people, dressed in dark blue robes with scarves covering their faces. They all whirled around at the noise.

“Привет!” Ivan declared in a cheerful voice as he stepped forward. The closest one immediately raised one hand and a clear silver shield flared up between them.

“This is not your business, demon.” He declared in a harsh tone. “We seek only one item. If you have come to raid this house for the rest, come later.”

Ivan laughed in a way that was nothing like his usual chuckle. It was a cold, rhythmic chant that reminded Anna of the ringing of a bell. She found herself shuddering, wrapping her arms around herself. Without his coat, she realized then that Ivan’s arms were unexpectedly thick and muscular, like stacked boulders.

She looked around for Arthur and spotted him behind one of the intruders. He was slumped up against the wall, head down and his hands tied with some kind of glowing orange thread.

“Ivan,” She said in a low tone, and Ivan nodded.

“I see him, Ангелочек.” He grinned at the intruders again. “You have been some very rude guests. I think you should leave now.”

“Do not trifle with us, demon.” The one who had cast the shield made a gesture with his hand, with his index and middle finger up and his thumb curled into his palm, “We are not a group you would want to fight unnecessarily. Do not underestimate us.”

“I do think maybe it is you who are doing the underestimating.” Ivan raised one hand. “Ангелочек, stay where you are.”

He stepped forward and the rest of the intruders raised their arms, light sparking at their fingers. He chuckled that same dark laugh.

“До свидания.”

Anna didn’t see him move, but she did see the barrier shatter like a thin sheet of ice and then realized Ivan was across the room, holding the man who had cast the shield by the head. He tossed him into the wall, where he hit it with a resound thud and fell like a ragdoll. Ivan had already moved to the next person, slamming his palm directly into her chest. Anna heard the sickening sound of bones crunching before the intruder fell, spasming.

The third intruder had barely enough time to throw up his hand and fire a missile of red light at Ivan, hitting him in the shoulder. Ivan turned to face him with a wide grin, the remains of the spell sparking off him with no more harm than a ball of glitter.

“My turn!” He called out before pointing at the man. A torrent of raging, roiling dark purple smoke burst from his hand to slam into the intruder, throwing him into the dining room to crash against the dining room table.

Anna began to step forward, and Ivan held his palm out at her. She flinched, then realized he was just biding her to stay back.

“There are more.” He raised his head, where frantic shouting and footsteps sounded from upstairs. He raised his hands, palm up, toward the ceiling. “Peek-a-boo.”

More purple smoke boiled from his figure, flying upwards into the ceiling and up the stairs. The shouting and footsteps abruptly stopped. Ivan extended one hand out, and the smoke drifted through the doorways of the lobby, skirting around Anna as it went.

“It will find anyone else hiding around here,” Ivan explained, “We do not have to fear any surprises from those in hiding.” Anna nodded mutely. “Oh!” Ivan blinked, as if suddenly remembering something. He flashed Anna a wide grin . “Also! They are all just asleep! Do not worry!” His eyes slid over to the closest body. “Perhaps, they are having some bad dreams right now, though.” Anna just nodded again, then turned her attention over to Arthur.

He was in bad shape. His jacket was missing and his shirt had been ripped open. Blood leaked down the side of his head, as well as oozing from a gash on his upper arm. The thread around his wrists had disappeared, probably sometime during when its creator had been thrashed.

Ivan knelt down beside him and lifted him up. Those boulder arms that had smashed a person’s ribcage and hurled another into a wall now held Arthur in a careful nest as Ivan carried him to the couch. He sat down, still holding Arthur in his lap. Arthur groaned and his head tilted to the side, then he wheezed and tried to break away from whoever was holding him.

“Ангел, Ангел,” Iven cooed and stroked his hair, “It’s ok, Ангел. I’m here.”

“E’van?” Arthur groaned again and reached up to touch the bloody streak on his face. “Wha, Wha’n bloo’y ‘ell’re you doin ‘ere? How-” His eyes snapped open. “’eart!” He gasped and his hand fumbled up to Ivan’s chest. “Yer-”

“It’s fine, Ангел.” Ivan gently took Arthur’s wrist and guided it up so it was flat against his chest. “It’s right here. All the bad people are gone.”

“Sent Ann…” Arthur muttered, then his eyes slid over around the room until he saw her. “Oh.”

“Hullo.” Anna offered a small wave. “Sorry, didn’t feel like heading to Paris today.”

“How…” He muttered, then blinked slowly and looked up at Ivan. “I…van? You were’n the area?” Ivan answered with a broad smile.

“Нeт. I was home. Aнгелочек brought me here.”

“’Ow’d she do ‘at?” Arthur’s eyes flickered over to Anna. “You called’im?” Anna shrugged.

“Sorta.”

“She summoned me,” Ivan murmured. “Little Aнгелочек summoned me with my heart.” Arthur just stared at him, then slowly turned his head to look at Anna. He stared and stared with his mouth half-open, until Anna felt uncomfortable enough that she cleared her throat.

“Anyhow, how do you feel?” Arthur blinked, seeming to not quite understand the question.

“Ангел, Ангел...” Ivan’s voice lowered as he curled his fingers around the hem of Arthur’s undone shirt. “Did they touch you, Ангел? I will-”

“Uhn? No, no bollocks no,” Arthur gave him a clumsy wave off, “Gitcher...Git yer head outta the bloody gutter. They-” He winced, then took a slow breath and gingerly pulled back his shirt. An intricate mark was drawn over his sternum, consisting of a series of circles with several lines drawn through it. As Anna looked closer, she realized with a wave of revulsion it appeared to be burned in.

“Sealin’ magic,” Arthur mumbled, “Po’erful stuff. Can’t cast.”

“Arthur,” Ivan’s tone was hard as he lightly pressed one finger to the skin directly under the mark. “This is worse than if they had touched you.”

“Pah,” Arthur waved him off. “M’fine. It’ll fade’n…a week’r two.” He craned his neck back to look around, taking in the smashed wreckage of his living room with a harsh grimace.

“They wan’ed yer ‘eart,” Arthur mumbled, “Kept lookin’ fer it. Wanted me t’tell’em but-” He broke into a weak, rambling titter of laughter, one that made his chest spasm back.

“Oh Ангел,” Ivan murmured and shifted him into a better position.

“I think he’s in shock,” Anna suggested, if only to remind them that she was still there. “I’ll ring for an ambulance-”

“No,” Ivan interrupted her, “Ambulance, hospital, they are asking too many questions, getting too many strange results to tests.”

“…Righto.” Anna sighed and ran her fingers over her hair. “Well he needs **some** attention. My mum’s a nurse. We could-”

“She would probably insist he go to a hospital,” Ivan cut in again, then looked down at Arthur. “Usually, when Arthur is injured, he heals himself with magic.”

“Well he can’t do that now,” Anna pointed out. “Can **you** heal him?”

“Нeт, no. That is outside my range of affinity.”

“Of course.” Anna planted her hands on her hips. “So, should I try to-”

“Нeт,” Ivan answered again, more hurriedly. Anna ignored the clearly overdramatic look of terror on his face. “Er, you are still new to that, Aнгелочек. It would be best not to try something so complex yet.”

“I summoned you, didn’t I?” Anna muttered under her breath, then looked around the room.

“Fine. Does he have any first aid stuff?”

“I don’t think so,” Ivan answered, “But, there may be some in the cupboard down the hall.”

“Alright.” Anna nodded and headed in the direction she indicated. The cupboard was a mess, but after several minutes of rummaging through the cleaning supplies and boxes of lightbulbs, she managed to drag out a white box with a red cross on it. She opened it to find a few bandages and medicine, hopefully not all of them expired.

She returned to the living room. Ivan was singing softly. Arthur was slumped against his chest, his eyes half-closed. His fingers were curled into Ivan’s scarf, and Ivan covered his other hand with his own.

“My mum taught me the basics of this stuff.” Anna pulled some latex gloves on, then unrolled some bandages. “Let’s see how much I remember.”

Ivan lifted Arthur’s injured arm, making him hiss in pain.

“Shh, Ангел,” Ivan cooed while Arthur’s face screwed up.

“S’broken,” He muttered.

“I’ll try to be gentle,” Anna told him, mentally putting more emphasis on the word “try.” She wrapped a bandage around the gash, then folded and tied in it the special way she remembered. Arthur inhaled sharply when she tightened the bandage, but didn’t gripe any further. She then made a sloppy splint as well, using a few improvised pieces of furniture. Arthur had fallen asleep by the time she moved on to check his head.

“Looks like the bleeding’s stopped here,” She muttered as she cleaned away the blood. Ivan only nodded in response. He wouldn’t take his eyes off Arthur’s face, stroking at his cheek every few seconds. She finished up and backed away, stripping off the gloves and going to wash her hands.

That done, she thumped down onto the free part of the sofa with a heavy sigh. She was suddenly coming to realize just how exhausted she was. Between all the excitement and action, she felt like she had aged ten years, not to mention summoning Ivan had probably used up some kind of energy of hers.

She would just close her eyes for a little-

Anna awoke to a soft buzzing and someone poking her shoulder. She was slumped over on the couch, head pillowed on her arms against the side of the couch. She sat up, wincing a bit at her stiff muscles, and ruffled a hand over her hair.

“Aнгелочек,” Ivan’s voice cut in gently, “Your cell phone.”

“My wuh?” Anna blinked, then looked down at the source of the buzzing. Her phone’s screen flashed to tell her that her mum had sent her several texts, asking where she was with increasing urgency, and she was now attempting to call her.

“Aw Hell,” She snapped it up and put it to her ear. “Hey mum-”

“Anna!?” Anna winced at the tone of her voice, on the verge of hysterics. “Where are you?! I was just about to call the police-”

“I’m fine, mum, I’m fine. I’m sorry. I’m just at a mate’s house. I fell asleep.” She glanced out the window and found the sky was dark. “I’m really sorry, didn’t mean to worry you. I’ll head home now.”

“Where are you? I’ll drive out-”

“No, no it’s fine.” She covered a yawn with one fist. “It’s just down the street, I’ll be there in five minutes, tops.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes mum, I’m sure. I’ll see you soon.” She hung up, then turned to Ivan. “I gotta go now.” Ivan nodded. Arthur was still asleep in his arms, and didn’t seem like he was waking up anytime soon.

“I will have someone follow you home.” Anna looked at him blankly. “…For protection.”

“Ah.” She sighed and nodded. “Fine.”

Ivan raised one hand and whistled. There was a flash of fire and embers and large falcon appeared perched on his arm. Its feathers gleamed orange and red and seemed to smolder like hot coals, while its breast glowed white hot.

“If anyone attempts to bother you with the Raróg as your guardian,” Ivan smiled, “-They will regret it.”

“…Alright.” Anna cringed a bit as the bird leapt off Ivan’s arm to land on her shoulder. It hardly weighed a thing, and while a little warm, it didn’t burn her. She nodded to it. “Hullo there.” The bird chirped in response.

“Aнгелочек.” Ivan called after her as she headed for the door. She paused to glance back.

“Ye?”

“I think there are many things we will have to talk about later,” He told her. “But for now, be careful. Also, thank you very much.”

“No problem,” Anna answered, even though she could practically feel all the stress and bewilderment of this event crossing its arms at her. “I’ll stop by tomorrow.”

She shut the door behind her. The cool night air curled around her. She bundled her coat closer, listening. Nothing sounded out of the ordinary. She took a deep breath, then began to walk forward to head down the hill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Demon does not underestimate you, in Russia you underestimate demon.
> 
> Ivan: *Fucking destroys a house of people with terrifying powers* …They are asleep.  
> Anna, nodding vigorously: Yes they are definitely asleep I 100% completely believe you.


	9. Checking In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wrapping things up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know Anna is fully attached to them now because she's marching right back to all that bullshit.  
> Deep down, she cares.

“I’ll be home by 4.” Anna promised as she shouldered her bag, then held up her phone, fully charged. “And if I’m going to be late I’ll text you.” Her mother nodded, still looking a little concerned.

“Where are you going, exactly? Which friend?”

Anna decided it was no use lying at this point. “The chap that lives on the hill,” She confessed. “He had an, accident, broke some bones, so I thought I’d stop by to check up on him.”

“...Oh,” Her mother answered. Her perplexed expression was clear, but she nodded. “Is he, what’s he like? How old is he?”

“About his twenties I guess,” Anna shrugged, “Don’t worry, mum, I wasn’t sure at first, but he’s quite the gentleman. Also, he’s gay. His boyfriend is taking care of him.” The assurance seemed to soothe her a little, though she still looked cautious.

“Oh, well then, I’d like to meet him sometime.”

“Ye,” Anna nodded, “I’ll ask him about it when he’s feeling better.”

“Yes, that would, be nice.”

“Right, ok.” She offered her mum a quick wave. “I’ll be back soon! No falling asleep!” Her mum offered a tense smile and waved back.

Anna jogged down the street toward Arthur’s house. She had a bag of Tim Tams and some painkillers in her bag. If the painkillers wouldn’t work, then maybe the biscuits would.

The creatures had returned to Arthur’s property, but they seemed skittish. A unicorn paced around the front door, looking at her once before resuming its path. Fairies darted around the house, never staying in one place or another.

Ivan opened the door just as Anna was raising her hand to knock. He flashed her his usual smile, though it appeared dimmer than usual.

“Привет, Aнгелочек.”

“Hullo.”

He let her inside. The lobby had been cleared of a bit of the debris and the rug had been replaced, but it still looked like a hurricane had gone through the place. Anna caught sight of a couple of luggage bags stacked up by the door.

“I am taking Arthur to Moscow,” Ivan told her, “He is vulnerable until the seal wears off, and I may have some things there that can help him.” Anna nodded.

“Bon Voyage, then.”

“You are in danger as well,” Ivan continued, “Would you like to come with us?” Anna gave him a blank look.

“Come with you, to Moscow.”

“Дa.”

It did sound like an interesting adventure, and yet...

Anna sighed, “I can’t,” She answered, “My mum would freak. Also, I’ve got school.” Ivan didn’t seem bothered. He just nodded.

“Ok. I will be sending someone to watch over you, then.” Anna gave him a wry look.

“Could you possibly make them not shady?” Ivan offered a wide smile.

“I will try.”

“Thanks.” Anna sighed and crossed her arms, then her face fell into a sharp frown. “Is he, going to be alright?”

“Дa. It takes more than this to take someone like Arthur down.”

“Right...” Anna nodded, but the frown on her face didn’t fade. Ivan tilted his head to the side.

“Would you like to see him?”

Anna blinked. “I-” Her eyes flickered to the side. “I figured he needed to rest.”

“I do not think it will be too hard on him.” Ivan gestured her to follow him up the stairs. “I think he would be relieved so see you are ok.” Anna hesitated, then nodded, following him up.

Ivan led them to a room at the end of the hallway. He didn’t knock before opening the door and calling out. “Arthur! Little Anna came to visit you.”

The room was, not what Anna expected. The wallpaper and furniture was still in an old style, but posters of the Beatles and other rock bands decorated the walls, along with some other modern decorations. Anna’s mouth twitched up when she saw a Sherlock poster hanging beside a figurine of the 10th doctor.

Arthur was lying in bed, propped up on some pillows with the blanket up to his chest. He had one hand resting over his stomach while the other one, the injured one, lay flat at his side. He was surrounded by a few magical creatures, Mint Bunny resting on his lap, while fairies buzzed around his hair. He turned his head slowly, and after a second his eyes focused on Anna and he smiled.

“Oh, Anna, hullo, glad to see you’re ok. You didn’t run into any trouble, I assume?”

“Nope.” Anna leaned back against the wall. She felt weird approaching him, when he looked like this. he seemed so frail, she half-expected him to turn transparent. “How’re you feeling?”

“Oh, so-so.” He looked down at his injured arm. “Just need a bit of rest, I guess.”

“The unicorn,” Anna spoke up as the thought occurred to her, “Could they, heal you?” Arthur offered her a grim smile.

“I’m afraid not, not with this seal on me.”

“That sucks,” Anna answered frankly.

“Language,” Arthur chided her, earning an eye roll in response.

“Well, good to see you’re looking better.”

“Yes…” His mouth twisted as he touched his chest. “I have to say that I share that sentiment.” He paused, then looked up at her. His eyes betrayed an odd emotion: an uneasy hesitation, like he was about to ask a friend if they were all right, while they presently had a hole in their head. “Is it true? That you summoned Ivan?”

“I guess?” Anna shrugged. “I didn’t, mean to exactly. I just, well frankly, I was desperate.”

“I figured as much,” Arthur remarked, “That was amazing luck that you managed to do what you did.”

“Thanks,” Anna answered, “I’m right glad I didn’t exactly blow it up.”

“Дa,” Ivan commented, “That would have been unpleasant.” Arthur gave a weak laugh, and Anna had the sneaking suspicion it was to avoid pondering how likely that could have been.

“Anna,” Arthur started, “You…” Anna stared at him expectantly. Arthur pursed his lips, then looked away. “Never mind. I think my mind’s still too addled to say anything too coherent.”

“…Well,” Anna tucked her hands behind her back, “Fair enough.”

“We’re going to leave soon,” Ivan spoke up, “Are you sure you do not want to come?”

“Nah,” Anna shrugged and jerked her head to the side, “Might hurt my grades.”

“Atta girl,” Arthur muttered.

“Ok.” Ivan pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped at the screen. “I text you my number. Tell me if there is trouble.” He grinned at Anna. “I take care of it.” Anna coughed and nodded.

“Noted.”

She let herself out a few minutes later. As she closed the door, a faint breeze blew over her, and she knew the house was now empty. She nodded to herself, then began to head down the hill.

Someone was waiting for her at the bottom. She froze, feet spread apart and shoulders tense. The person, a young man with blond hair, pinned back with a cross-shaped clip, raised one hand in greeting. Behind him was a massive creature made of green smoke and light. It resembled a man, but with a giant, bulbous nose and heavy, short limbs. It peered at Anna curiously, but didn’t appear malicious.

Something whizzed past her face, carrying the scent of mint with it. Mint Bunny zoomed down to the man, circling around his head and bobbing around the green creature behind him. The man reached out to gently scratch behind her ears, then turned to look at Anna again.

“You’re Anna, right?” He had a Scandinavian accent. “I’m Lukas. Arthur and Ivan hired me to keep an eye on you.” Anna relaxed a little. Since Mint Bunny seemed to recognize him, he was probably legit.

“Hired you?” Anna stepped closer, examining both him and the new creature. “How much?”

“A bag of fancy coffee,” Lukas answered bluntly. Anna cocked an eyebrow at him.

“I’m worth a bag of fancy coffee.”

“I like coffee,” Lukas dug his hands into his pockets and turned toward the street. “Also, I was curious about their special new student. Come on, where are we headed?”

“Home, I guess.” Anna checked her phone, then glanced up at the large green creature. “So who’s this fellow?”

“This guy?” Lukas waved a finger at the creature as they began to walk down the street. “He’s a troll. Don’t worry, he’s a nice guy.” Anna nodded to the troll, who nodded back.

“So,” Lukas started, then looked over at her, “What are you, anyways?”

Anna stopped walking, so Lukas did as well, looking back at her.

“I was just curious. You don’t have to say if you don’t want to, or don’t know. Some people just don’t know.”

Anna stared down at the pavement, lips pressed together in thought. Finally, she raised her head.

“Aнгелочек.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lukas: Wow, your pronunciation is terrible.  
> Anna: Shut up.


	10. Respite In Moscow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, in Moscow...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's snuggly comfort time.

“I do not like this,” Ivan murmured, tapping Arthur’s chest. They were lying on the bed of one of Ivan’s guest rooms. Ivan was propped up on his elbow and turned to face him. It was snowing outside. Winter came earlier in Moscow.

“You bought me this shirt,” Arthur pointed out as he grabbed his wrist to push it aside.

“No, I like the shirt. I do not like this.” He pointed again, at his sternum where the mark rested under his clothes and a layer of bandages. “This mark, that they marred your pretty skin with, and which stole your power.”

“It’s fine, Ivan.” Arthur rested his hand over Ivan’s wrist again. “It’ll heal, right now it just stings like a bastard.”

“You are lying,” Ivan told him, and Arthur winced. Ivan wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer so his cheek was against Arthur’s chest. “I hear your heart. You are scared without your magic. They put that seal on you to render you helpless, and so they could have control over you. They had other methods, but they did the one that was very painful and humiliating, because they were scared of you and wanted to feel powerful.” He finished, and Arthur didn’t answer for a while. He stared out the window, watching the snow fall.

“It wasn’t meant to be that personal,” Arthur murmured, “And, I’m not so scared if you’re beside me.”

“Дa.” Ivan squeezed him and nuzzled his shoulder. “I will not let anyone touch you.”

“Mm-hm.” Arthur reached up to graze his fingers against the other’s jaw.

“I killed them all,” Ivan commented as casually as if he had mentioned he did the grocery shopping, “Once little Aнгелочек was gone. She didn’t ask what happened to them.”

“Better for her,” Arthur murmured, “She’s young, doesn’t need to be seeing things like that.”

“Do you know what she is?” Ivan asked. Arthur sighed and closed his eyes.

“No, and honestly, it’s starting to scare me. She  **summoned** you. Using your heart, yes, tapping into the spell I put on it, yes, but still!”

“Дa, Дa.” Ivan nodded in agreement, then tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling in thought. “…I think she is one of yours. Your kind.”

“Bollocks,” Arthur snorted, “She’s half-human something. That much can be told. Offspring between humans and us almost never survive birth, let alone getting into adolescence.”

“But they could,” Ivan pointed out, “it is possible, and when they do survive, they are very powerful.”

“…I hope she isn’t,” Arthur murmured, “For her sake.”

“She reminds me of you, a little.” Ivan grinned. “When you were younger, more prone to stupid things.” Arthur snorted at that.

“She’s got a good head on her shoulders, and a strong ambition, as well.”

“Дa, but she also messes with things she is not supposed to, instead of following directions.” Ivan lifted Arthur’s hand up to kiss it. “Except this time, it saved your life, not mine.” Arthur’s eyes softened as he recognized the memory Ivan was referencing. “Do you remember? The really stupid, really amazing thing you did long ago?”

“You were a broken demon,” Arthur murmured, “Holding onto the last lingering shreds of your lifeforce, clinging to a heart that had been ripped out of you, which you didn’t know how to put back in.” Ivan booped him on the nose.

“You were wizard fresh out of school who was sure he knew more than his teachers. Who thought he was smart enough to go against all learning from kin telling him to kill someone like me.” Arthur gave a hard chuckle at that, then he sobered and his gaze drifted away to look out the window.

“…It wasn’t pity or kindness that drove me to try to save you,” He murmured, “You know that, right? It was curiosity, and ambition. I thought I could use you.”

“Дa, I know.” Ivan hummed and poked him again. “But also deep down you were feeling the kindness.”

“And then we ended up here, somehow.” Arthur sighed and dragged his fingers over his bangs. “What frightening tales they must tell about me in some circles.” An ancient wizard that keeps the heart of a demon in a box.”

“And the rest of him in his bed.” Ivan finished with a teasing note. Arthur snorted.

“…Maybe you should keep it,” Arthur muttered as his hand crawled up to touch Ivan’s chest. He heard his heartbeat under his fingertips, steady and strong. “After this fiasco, it’s too dangerous. The safest place is obviously in your body.” Ivan hummed in response.

“But then I can’t be doing the visiting you so easy.”

“Centuries speaking English and you still can’t do it right.”

“I know you think accent is cute.”

“Bollocks.” Arthur’s eyes closed halfway as he pressed his hand against his chest. “You could move in with me,” He murmured, “Always be with me.”

“I cannot,” Ivan answered simply, “I love Russia too much, and you love Britain too much.”

“I know,” Arthur sighed and let his hand drop, “But, the offer still stands. And anyhow, we could figure out some other arrangement. It’s your heart, if you want to take it back.”

Ivan smiled, then took Arthur’s wrist to again press his hand up against his chest.

“I may be able to take this back,” Ivan murmured, “But my heart, you have taken forever.” Arthur’s eyes went wide, then he flushed a dark beet red before sputtering and yanking his hand back.

“You’re such a sap.” He mumbled and covered his face with his arm. Ivan chuckled and flopped over to hug him.

“Дa. I am sappy because I know you are very romantic on the inside.”

“I am not.”

“You are super romantic and super sappy and I love you.”

“Bah,” Arthur twisted away, then mumbled into the pillow, “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it folks thanks for reading.


End file.
